


Up a Solid Brick Wall

by wowthatsloud



Category: Haven - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-04-15
Packaged: 2018-03-23 01:05:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3749305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wowthatsloud/pseuds/wowthatsloud
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Audrey learns how to stop and appreciate the simpler things in life. (early s3)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up a Solid Brick Wall

Some people liked to bake. Some played music, others liked to crochet, or draw, or dabble in any one of the sports activities they were drawn to. Audrey had seen it. Not much with her own eyes around Haven but definitely in brochures, where they would hold aloft their spatula or tennis racquet and beam with perfect rows of immaculate teeth, smiling as one without a care in the world.

It dawned on Audrey as she fruitlessly tapped a single key into her lagging, unresponsive police department computer that she badly needed one of those hobbies. If taking a pilates class could make her into the picture of immaculate calm and radiant joy like those women posing in those brochures, then she would sign up by all means. Not that she’d ever have the time to go, between picking through the sprawling, tangled pathetic mess that was her life, and trying to keep a lid on the pandora’s box of madness that was Haven. If the Troubles and the Guard and the mystery of the Colorado Kid and all of the problems arising from them each hadn’t been enough to keep her more than occupied, she now had to worry about those oh so predictable, oh so exhausting relationship issues. Which was ridiculous from where Audrey was standing, as someone who was definitely not in an actual relationship. As nice as Nathan was, questioning if those furtive little feelings between them could lead to something more was useless at a time in Audrey's life she couldn't and wouldn't commit to anything bigger than what she might eat for lunch. Not even to mention the can of worms with... whatever was going on between her and Duke. Both had weighed on her mind far more than she cared to admit.

“Audrey.”A voice called her name as one finger turned to her entire hand, smashing down on the keys repeatedly out of sheer frustration. Audrey stopped the action and looked over to the catlike smile the redhead in the corner was shooting her, the one thing she’d neglected to remember. Claire Callahan was also shadowing her full time on duty this week for a fun and exciting change, just in case she had happened to run out of things to be annoyed about. “Is everything alright?”

She spoke, as usual, in a concerned tone, sounding genuinely preoccupied with Audrey’s wellbeing, but Audrey knew it was nothing but an obsession with these shrink-types to get people to spill their guts to them. Audrey very much preferred to keep herself to herself, and as far as she was concerned, Claire’s presence here was nothing more than a bureaucratic check box to fill. So the leading questions were always answered as quickly and painlessly as Audrey could manage.

“I’m good,” Audrey said reassuringly. It wasn’t nearly enough to fool either of them.  
“You sure?” Claire’s tone was even and casual, and for some reason that only wound Audrey up more.  
“Yes, I’m _fine_. Everything’s fine.” Trying to get this computer fixed while the extremely persistent shrink lady talked at her was already beginning to give Audrey a tension headache, but the overbearing doctor didn’t need to know about that.

“ _Al_ right.” Claire dropped the issue and leaned back in her chair, with the stress in the word annoyingly placed to let Audrey know she saw too much and knew even more. Despite Audrey’s best efforts, Claire was like a mental x-ray, seeming to sort and examine the contents of her mind before she knew she had opened it. It was already driving Audrey nuts, and she couldn’t wait for it to be over.

* * * *

Being out on the field made her feel remotely better at least. As awful as the Troubles were themselves, they presented a problem external to herself, and the neatness and rightness of solving them gave her a satisfaction that no puzzle ever could.

Of course, a large part of that neatness came from Dwight Hendrickson, the town’s unofficial cleaner. Discretion was probably the most important aspect of protecting any Troubled person, and the overwhelming efficiency of Dwight’s methods reflected in the qualities of the man himself – orderly, straightforward and pragmatic.

Which was just as well, because the Trouble of this particular afternoon had been anything but orderly. The caustic, bitter smell of burnt rubber was thick in the air as they tried to make sense of the wreckage, where an old sedan had been left with its front end apparently melted right into the road, creating a sizeable crater in its wake. Flashing sirens from the police cruisers stopped at the scene, where a few policemen were still working to locate exactly who had caused this.

As he examined the wreckage, Dwight only tilted his head slighty before speaking. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it.”

It wasn’t anything he hadn’t said before, but for some reason today it made Audrey crack a smile, then an outright laugh, a light, humoured noise that punctured the quiet of the near empty stretch of highway. Dwight turned to face her then, eyebrows raised and a hint of a smile playing on his own lips, wondering what had brought this on.

Audrey shook her head slightly, then gestured out to the ruins. “I just don’t understand how a person can look at all of _that_ and say ‘Don’t worry.’ That is a whole lot of worry.”

At this, Dwight merely shrugged, raising one large shoulder and dropping it down. “Well, you know. Nothing the old bag of tricks can’t fix,” he said. Then he gave her another smile, but a real one this time, flashing the teeth and dimples that no one really ever got to see.

Standing there with Dwight made Audrey fill with a sudden and heartfelt appreciation of the man. Haven seemed to be messy and dramatic and complicated as a rule – her own life would attest to that –  yet in the midst of it all Dwight managed an unfailing simplicity that was incredibly refreshing, bordering on downright impossible.

Audrey’s work there was officially done while Dwight’s was just getting started, but instead of leaving him to it she lingered behind, turning away from her car at the last minute. Something about his quiet calm and assured presence drew Audrey to him, and she felt the odd and sudden urge to just spill her guts, in the insignificant hopes that some of that steadfast calm might somehow transfer to her.

“Hey, Dwight.” She called out. “Do you ever…”

“Yeah?” Dwight turned from what he was doing to go over, and there was a surprising amount of concern in his eyes.

Audrey went to pose a question around one of the thousands of problems that were dominating her thoughts at the moment, but eventually thought better of it. “Never mind.”

Then Dwight looked like he was about to say something too, but instead he only nodded. “I’m going to finish up here, in case you wanted to head back.”  
Audrey nodded. “I think I’ll do that,” Audrey said. It had been a very long day, but just before Audrey could head over to her car a gentle hand on her arm stopped her.

“Take care, Audrey.” His words were more sincere than the casual turn of phrase usually allowed for, and the consideration touched Audrey. It also made her wonder if Claire wasn't on to something. Maybe she really did need to relax a bit more, if now even Dwight was worried about her.

* * * *

Another unrelated incident in town meant that traffic was awful on the way back in, and cars rolled forward along the road with the speed and fluidity of treacle. The day had been long, and Audrey’s patience was very much running thin as it was, and she had been more than ready to see this day to its end without nearly being in an accident. As the traffic had thinned out Audrey had to swerve to avoid some clueless idiot that apparently loved running into the middle of roads in his spare time, and she spent a solid minute cursing him out with all the vitriol of a sailor.

The violent brake and Audrey pressing the car-horn down  at the hapless pedestrian had definitely shed some light on her current mood. The thunderous expression Claire observed on their way back into the offices may or may not have shed even more.

“Again, you’re sure there’s nothing the matter?” As far as patients that didn’t open up went, Claire had had far worse, but if things kept going this way it would be hard for her not to consider Audrey a serious cause for concern.  She was carrying around the stress levels of an addict gone cold turkey, it was written in her face and the posture of her body –  health issues aside, that just couldn’t have been fun to walk around with for the detective. If Audrey would open up a little bit and actually talk to her, Claire knew they could make big improvements in her life. But the stubborn blonde had been quick to let her know that that _if_ was a very big one.

Audrey sighed and leaned her head back against her chair. “I’m just tired,” she said, closing her eyes and feeling immediate relief. That was actually true above all else – apart from the frustrating, worrying, maddening existence that was her life, she was just really, really exhausted all the time. It had become like a second skin and a permanent state of being for her.

“Tired?” Claire knew it was a bad idea to badger her, but the frustration of being this close overrode her professional protocol. “Audrey, I’ve seen tired. I know tired. This isn’t it, it’s actually about ten huge steps _past_ it. Tell me what’s going on with you.”

Something finally made Audrey crack. She wasn’t sure it was that she’d calmed down, or if she was simply too weary to resist any more, but suddenly the woes came pouring out of her like an open faucet.

“Maybe this town is finally getting to me,” she began, staring at a featureless space on the ceiling rather than Claire, who sat patiently listening. “Maybe all of this – I mean, before it was Reverend Driscoll and his goons, now it’s the Guard and whatever they’re planning, and this meteor storm,  and this Colorado Kid mystery… Maybe it’s just all of it. Maybe I should just stop trying to fix everything, and worrying. Maybe I should stop caring altogether and just… I don’t know. Do something else. Run away to raise sheep in the French countryside.”

“And what would that do for you?” Claire discreetly changed gears, slipping into full on therapy-mode as she addressed Audrey.

Audrey looked over at Claire, realising that her tongue-in-cheek comment had been taken seriously. “What, raising sheep in France? Well sheep are a lot more fun than hanging around in this place, for one. “ Claire acknowledged the joke, but otherwise did not interrupt, leaving the silence alone to prompt Audrey to continue speaking, which she eventually did. “But also, I guess it would be a lot easier doing that. Seems like things would at least be not so demanding and complicated all the time.”

“Shepherding would be a lot simpler than your life right now, then.”

“Oh yeah, no question,” Audrey said, sighing wistfully. “No doubt about that at all.” For all her annoying traits, Audrey had to admit that even that tidbit of conversation with Claire had made her feel a lot better. A weight that seemed to press down on her chest had eased off, and that had merely come from just vocalising her worries out loud.

“Pilates has nothing on this,” Audrey said aloud. Her outburst drew a  questioning glance from  Claire, which Audrey quickly waved off.

“I guess your situation makes sense,” Claire said, promptly continuing. “Everything that’s been going on in your life has been incredibly tied down, with everything you mentioned happening in Haven, and the emotional potential with Nathan complicating with your friendship with Duke… It’s a lot to deal with, and it makes sense that you’re seeking out more simplicity in your life. For example you like the order your work gives you,” Claire stated. “Which is why the only time I see you halfway content is when you’re focused on the job.”

Audrey was unnerved that Claire had apparently clean read her thoughts from just a few hours ago, but she supposed that was part of the package with the human x-ray.

“And personally, I think there's nothing wrong with that. Quite the opposite, in fact. If you want to do more of the simple things to make you feel better, then have at it. Take happiness where you can find it,” she said cheerfully. 

Claire had only spoken to reassure Audrey, but the blonde turned immediately suspicious. “What is that, what do you mean 'do more simple things,'” she demanded.

It was Claire’s turn to be confused. “I didn’t _mean_ anything. I just thought…”

Claire stopped herself mid sentence. She looked over at Audrey, and her expression opened as to a person that was about to read far too much into this.

“ _Oh_.”

“Claire, I didn’t…”

“I hadn’t meant it like _that_ ,” Claire said, “but you do raise a good point.”

“No, I don’t,” Audrey insisted.

Claire carried on her monologue as if Audrey hadn’t even spoken. “You’re not willing to become involved with Nathan, and you’re fond of Duke, but you’re also not sure if you return the feelings he has for you. Complicated. You want simple. I get it. No messy feelings. No awkward discussions. Just… simple.”

“I don't want anything, _simple_ or otherwise.” Audrey used mocking emphasis to mask the fact that Claire's words had began resonating awfully close to home.

“Of course you are,” Claire said breezily. “Those pesky boy troubles have been weighing a lot on your mind recently like you said, and that invariably makes you wonder about, well, other things. But for the awfully long time you've spent talking about it, and thinking about it, you haven’t actually spent any time _doing_ it.”

“But-”

“Am I wrong?”

Audrey opened her mouth to respond, and Claire cocked an eyebrow, daring the blonde to lie to her right now.

“No. I guess you’re not.”

Theory confirmed, Claire went into her own scientist's mind, dissecting and analysing her latest discovery with mirth. “It's not a conventional means, but I suppose that sex would help with the withheld gratification, as well as alleviate some of that pressure you're under… Wow, Audrey, you are really good at this.” Claire shook her head as if she could barely believe Audrey's therapeutic prowess. 

“Well, apparently not good enough,” Audrey said. “Call me back if I ever actually find this elusive uncomplicated guy you're talking about, because I don't think he exists.”

And Audrey could have sworn she had heard the click and whirr as the ubiquitous human x-ray got to work, destroying the lie that they both hadn't been thinking about one certain tall, blonde-haired individual.

“Sure Audrey,” Claire said, deadpan. “Whatever you say. Look, I’m not saying you have to do anything you don’t want to. It’s just that there seems to be an itch there, from what you’ve told me. From where I'm standing, it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to scratch it.” She raised her palms upwards in an indifferent gesture, before turning to go home for the night, leaving Audrey with nothing but the previous speech to mull over. It was nonsense, she quickly and decisively concluded. She was sure of it.

* * * *

The sun showed its face in Haven the next day, a rare appearance that could not have come at the worst possible time for this particular Trouble. While Haven’s picturesque streets always looked stunning in the sunlight, the heat was not exactly helpful for working cases outside. Especially not when those cases came about a girl whose sneeze turned random objects into _candy_.

Dwight had taken it in his stride as usual, ordering around an unknown he’d called in a favour from, and they did their best to get the stickiness out of the less problematic spots on the house as Audrey worked on tracking down their Troubled perp. The unseasonably warm weather had made Dwight forgo his usual leather jacket for a plain navy t-shirt, in a fit that accentuated the lines of his torso in a way Audrey hadn’t had opportunity to notice before.

Not that she had been noticing anything about Dwight's body. Claire had finished shadowing her yesterday, but despite knowing this Audrey couldn’t help but look around for the redhead, who she was convinced was lurking around in a shadow somewhere watching her. Meanwhile, watched Dwight grip and extract a three foot long candy cane that had found itself embedded in the side of the house with inexplicable ease, laying it to one side before walking over to join her.

“Such a shame about that upended ice-cream truck,” he said lamentingly. Now that the physical damage of the exploded candy had been covered up, the lie actually seemed a plausible excuse for the sticky mess covering damn near everything in sight.

Audrey hummed in agreement. “Now to find the ice-cream truck _owner_ before she has another episode and this happens again.” She glanced up at Dwight, spiritless at the thought of the day's work ahead of her, and hesitated slightly when she spotted the dark smudge on his cheek. Shifting through all of that candy had caused some to inadvertently transfer to his person, which seemed to be the source of the innocuous goo that had settled on the fine bristles along the hollow of his cheek.

“Um, you’ve got…” she turned to face Dwight, gesturing vaguely towards the golden brown goo on his face and for some reason making sure to refrain from actually touching him. Something inside her told her it would be a bad idea.  
“Oh, do I?” He touched his hand across and examined the syrupy substance that came off on his fingers. “Caramel. That figures,” he noted, shaking his head before licking the stuff clean off.

Audrey tried desperately to ignore the reaction she'd had to the absent-minded gesture. Dwight, however, was not making it easy for her.

“God, I think I got some in my shoe,” he said, frowning slightly. “I definitely need a shower right now.”

Audrey held her breath and averted her eyes, hoping her face hadn’t betrayed the inappropriate and uncalled for places her mind had gone to at his mention of the word shower. Her eyes followed when Dwight walked off, and this time the mental occupation of excusing her furtive glancing had been too much to be worth the effort. She had been checking him out, pure and simple, and the resigned realisation made Audrey take up her phone and hit a certain number on speed dial.

Two dial tones gave way to the pick-up. “Hello?”  
“I kind of hate you, you know. Like, a lot.”  
Claire’s laugh crackled slightly over the vast line connecting them. “If you need to scratch the itch, Audrey…” Claire trailed off suggestively, and Audrey’d had enough.  
“I’m hanging up now,” she said.  
“Scratch the itch!” Claire got in her last words before the call was ended, leaving Audrey shaking her head at the disconnected phone.

It was just looking, though. There was no crime there. It was a free country, and she was free to look at whoever she pleased.

* * * *

Until it was no longer just looking.

The whole speech from Claire had been a Chinese finger trap of sorts, in the sense that the more Audrey tried to pull her mind away from the senseless trite spewed by the doctor, the more she lingered on it. Which wouldn’t have been a problem if it hadn’t started contaminating her day-to-day thoughts during the most inappropriate times: in the office, out on calls and in Dwight’s very presence. She was so determined to keep her thoughts away from the sexual that every time he appeared, she felt constantly compelled to verify that she in fact _wasn’t_ daydreaming about undressing him with her eyes, which, in turn, made her wonder what it would be like if she _had_ been doing that, and if the chiseled physique in the hypothetical Audrey’s dreams would match up to the reality that had been talking to her for the last minute and she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. Oh…

“The office, later?” Dwight gently prompted Audrey, bringing her back to the real world with his expression mildly amused but patient as ever. “I could bring them by on Monday morning, but it’s out of my way.”

Audrey tried to shake the distraction from her head and give the man in front of her even remotely decent attention. “Oh, right, the files. Yeah, bring them by tonight, that would be great.” Full attention hadn’t been the best idea either though, considering how immediately close he was standing, and how lately her mind had a tendency to run off on its own.  
“Alright.” Dwight gave her a curious look then, not immediately turning to go. “Later, then.”  
“Uh huh,” Audrey said tonelessly. She let herself fall shoulder-first against the nearest wall, letting out a long, deep breath she hadn’t known she was holding and making a point of not turning to watch Dwight leave.

Which had been just as well, because now it was Dwight that took his turn to stare, as he tried to figure out just what on earth was going on inside his colleague’s head.

* * * *

When she was a teenager, it had been silly bands and country music for several intense months. Around her early twenties she was convinced her life would not be complete without a pilgrimage to India, and she had even changed her entire style of dress to match the exotic destination. Even as late as a year ago she had out of the blue started eating raisins, several boxes a day, almost compulsively. The point was, Audrey had had her brief fixations in the past. They always came unexpected, and always seemed like the only thing on her mind, until the next thing came along. Now Claire had apparently prompted her latest, and while it had been fun enough, there was no point making a fool of herself and potentially ruin a work relationship because of one woman’s nonsense. 

“This too will pass,” Audrey muttered to herself as she drove, repeating an inspirational phrase she had seen or heard somewhere. All her mind was on tonight was getting home and away from the stress that she could finally alleviate after this work week, and she couldn’t wait to kick back and relax.

“ _Crap_.” Audrey was just about pulling into the lot of the Grey Gull when she squeezed her eyes tightly shut, realising her mistake. “No… Damn it.”She sighed and decided against turning the car back around, knowing her exhausted body would refuse even if her mind said yes. Instead, she picked up her phone and prepared to don the label of World’s Biggest Idiot.

A few dial tones later and the call picked up. “Yeah?” The voice on the end of the line was warm and familiar.  
“Dwight, listen. I completely blanked out on those reports you were gonna bring to the office, and I’ve kind of already…” Audrey fished for a way to explain herself that would make her seem less of a lazy ingrate.  
“You went home.”  
Audrey made a face. “I kind of did, yeah. I’m the worst.”  
“No, it’s fine. I’m actually… hold on.” The phone was dropped for a few seconds as Dwight tended to something, then he quickly came back. “That’s actually not out of my way at all if you want me to bring them over for you.”  
“Would you?”  
“Yeah, that’s no problem. Should I swing by?”  
“That would be great actually, if you could manage it.”  
“It's no problem. Be there in a bit.”

Audrey thanked him and hung up, feeling good about sorting that issue out.  Not having that file for the weekend would have wrecked her work week before it had already began, which would have been awful for such a silly oversight. She hadn’t thought of Dwight bringing it right to her, but she was glad he had suggested it as it was a great idea.

By the time she heard that knock on the door, she wasn’t entirely sure it was. Normally it wouldn’t have been an issue but by now the little Claire Callahan on her shoulder had wound her up enough that Dwight’s coming over had become _significant_.

Now she went over to open it, mentally debating herself over nothing and everything before allowing herself to turn the doorknob. Dwight entered immediately, bringing in crisp outside air in his wake that made Audrey shiver.

“Christ,” he muttered. It was only a few seconds to her door from his car, but in that time he’d been all but drenched. Raindrops shimmered as his movements made them fall from the surface of his jacket. He took out a manila folder he’d sheltered in the cocoon of his jacket to protect from the rainfall and presented it with a flourish. “There you go.”

“Thanks, Dwight.” Audrey received the file from him appreciatively. “I suppose you got everything in here?”  
Dwight nodded, moving over to show Audrey where he’d put everything. “Personal details, next of kin… I even got a little bit from the mechanic about the ah, car battery issues that caused both cases.” Audrey looked up at him when he said that, and they both shared a smile at the convenient lie.

A voice inside her head nudged her, and she consciously took a reluctant step away from the warm body beside her own, creating the needed space between the two of them. “Thanks for bringing this over, Dwight. This really helps me out.”

Just as Dwight was about to say no problem, they were both called to attention by the rain and wind picking up quite violently outside, slapping the sides of the building with a vengeance, and what sounded like the distant rumbling of thunder to boot.

Dwight grimaced, letting out a breath through his teeth. “Gonna be fun driving home in that.” He looked up and out as he stood there, as if to silently wish the bad weather away.

“Well, you don’t have to go right now.” _Bad idea_ , her rational mind urged, but Audrey herself paid it no mind. “Stay and have some coffee, at least!”

He looked over to her, carefully nodding at the proposal. “Sure. I could really use some right now, actually.”   
As she set about getting busy with mugs and hot water, Dwight went to take a seat on the couch.  _Just coffee_ , Audrey repeated to herself in a mantra, stirring the liquid inside the mugs before taking them over. _It’s just coffee_.

Tiny Claire on her shoulder be damned.

Audrey sat down beside him and tried to put herself at ease, to still the jitters coming along and quieten the obnoxious nattering sounding loudly in her head. She never normally encountered Dwight in a casual environment such as this, and instead of relaxing and enjoying the change of pace she was too busy second and third guessing herself over everything.

Hell, sitting back on the couch and cradling a hot cup of coffee in his hands, Dwight looked more at home than she did.

Audrey figured actually making conversation would serve her time better than staring into the steaming mug of dark liquid she was holding.  She looked up, not expecting to find Dwight already looking her way. It threw her off, and she immediately forgot whatever question she’d been about to pose. “Ah…”

There was amusement in Dwight’s eyes, and he had been about to supply his own few words of speech, when a cellphone buzzed in his pocket. He excused himself before briefly turning to take the call. Audrey only saw one end of the conversation, with Dwight’s expression turning progressively more grave with each responsive affirmation. “Okay. Sure, yeah. See you there then.”  
“You’re going?” Audrey did not expect her heart to freefall into disappointment the way it did.  
“Sounds like that’s me, yeah.” Dwight stood up, sounding apologetic. “That sucks. Wish I could have stayed a while longer, at least.”

Audrey had walked him to the door and she wasn’t happy to see him go either. Especially not with the unforgiving weather outside. “Raincheck for next time, Hendrickson,” she said authoritatively, attempting to lighten the mood of his early departure.  
Dwight readily agreed, preparing to mock-salute when he realised what he was still holding on to. The mug of coffee that was dwarfed in Dwight's hand was still with him, waiting as if it was getting ready to be sipped from.

“That's not mine,” Dwight said chidingly. He shook his head and pulled a silly-me face at Audrey, leaning over and placing the mug down on a nearby end table, just beside a set of keys.

She did not know why the kiss happened then. Part of her wondered if it was because of the closer space, or the look they’d exchanged that was somehow different than the rest, or any combination of all of the factors that had compelled them together then. She wasn’t even sure who had initiated; Audrey had an inkling it was her, but in her haste she hadn't been sure, and hadn't thought to make sure.

What she did know was that Dwight was kissing her back, fiercly, eagerly, holding her body close to his as Audrey moved to allow him. They moved to press her back against the front door which would have been open by now to see Dwight off, but was now left firmly closed by the movement of their bodies.

Then they stopped abruptly, each trying to catch their breath, neither entirely sure what had just happened between them. It had been a chaotic, uncontrolled spilling of tension, yet the giddy lightheaded glow that Audrey was experiencing was a more pleasant reaction to the unexpected that she didn't usually go through.

“I shouldn’t have done that.” Dwight was the first to speak, and he did so very quietly. His voice was regretful but he did not change his stance or position with his head bowed in close proximity to Audrey’s, a hand still instinctively lingering on her waist.  
“No, I wanted to,” Audrey said firmly. She had been in it just as much as he had, and so wasn’t about to have Dwight feeling bad on her behalf. Not on her watch. “I wanted to just as much as you did.”  
“But I thought you and-”  
“You _thought_ wrong.” Audrey cut him off before he could bring up the misinformed you-and-whatever Dwight had heard. “I’m not looking for a relationship right now. With anyone.”

Dwight considered this. “That’s fair enough,” he said, pausing. “But then… what is it that you do want?” Dwight looked at her to ask the question, not for any ulterior reason, but because he truly wanted to know for both their sakes. The worried, uncertain expression on his features made Audrey shake her head slightly, running a gentle hand by his face as a sly grin rose to her lips. “I'm not sure,” she said playfully. “You'll have to remind me.”

Dwight obliged her, leaning in and kissing her for real this time, with fervour that let Audrey know his intentions. Her hands traced the fine hairs along Dwight’s jaw and neck as she worked to deepen the kiss, soon feeling herself fall backwards as they eventually made contact with the couch, where they found themselves horizontal. 

Audrey's bed was available, but as their movements became heavier, she became doubtful they'd end up making it there. Not that Audrey was complaining - the soft kisses on her face and neck were headspinning - and Dwight wasn't having a bad time either by the looks of it. Only when they were both a lot less clothed did the interruption come, and it was in the form of a vibrating cellphone. All the sensitive areas of her skin had been set aflame by Dwight's touch, and as much as Audrey appreciated the attention she couldn't help but express concern.

“Shouldn’t… shouldn't you get that?” Audrey brushed her lips against Dwight’s ear, focusing hard on fighting the mush-brain and actually getting her words out in one go.

“Not important.” Dwight didn’t bother looking up as he said this, choosing instead to focus his efforts elsewhere. An _elsewhere_ that Audrey felt, suddenly sighing and tensing her fingers into the back of his neck despite herself. The phone stopped its buzzing dance across the hardwood floor, but then started back up again almost immediately afterwards, at which point Dwight used his free arm to reach out and silence the thing for good.

“It seems urgent,” Audrey remarked. She didn’t  mean to be a spoilsport, but Dwight’s dealings outside of the police force always seemed pretty life-or-death. A person’s life would always take priority, great sex or no.

At this point, Dwight raised his head to gaze searchingly at her gentle blue eyes. “Audrey, I’m telling you, it’s not. Okay?”  
Audrey nodded. “Okay.”  
He smiled, and gave her a long, slow, dizzying kiss. It was nice in itself, but didn't go a long way of assuring Audrey he wasn't skipping out on something important. 

Then Dwight's mouth began to move downwards, tracing a path down her body that lingered briefly while his hands slipped her panties carefully off. Then he went even lower, and the gasping sigh that escaped Audrey's lips told that she was finally convinced that Dwight probably  _did_ have more pressing matters at hand with her, or at least, for the time being. And with Audrey being the responsible adult, it was _definitely_ down to her to see these matters through to the end.

 


End file.
